Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Micheal Pearl Makes a Fool of Himself (along with a lot of other Christians)

Remember when the Josh Duggar scandal first broke in May? I blogged about my thoughts on the situation at the time.

Back then, many naive Christians afraid to lose their favorite TV show started falling all over themselves not condemning Josh Duggar's actions (molesting four of his own sisters), but rather condemning those who thought his actions were inexcusable under any circumstances, those who were angered by the family basically portraying a lie, those who were calling out the family's hypocrisy.

 (source here)

After just a brief period of silence following the initial shock, many Christians with a public platform also came out in defense of Josh Duggar. Some that come to mind are Mike Huckabee, Matt Walsh, Kent Hovind, Michael Seewald, and many others. Fans by the thousands were calling for TLC to bring the show back, starting online petitions, and leaving tens of thousands of supportive comments and messages on social media.

(Note: Matt Walsh and Michael Seewald have since changed their tune.)

I understand that if people committed sins, even serious ones, in the past and have since sought forgiveness and changed their ways, we should give them a fresh start, and not even mention those past failures.

However, I don't believe that this applies to serious, harmful crimes like pedophilia that deserve the death penalty. Such people are beyond repair, or what the Bible calls reprobates - Romans 1 says they have "eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin." Tell me that doesn't describe Josh Duggar to a T! And when those same perpetrators then lift themselves up to national stardom, revolving entire seasons of their TV show around telling us how they supposedly stayed pure until marriage, it just becomes ridiculously hypocritical, and an object of public scrutiny and derision. If the Duggars seek the attention of millions of viewers, they cannot then hide behind "that's a private matter" when it's inconvenient. Remember, the only reason why 99.9% of us have ever even heard of them in the first place is because they chose to make their lives very public. Anyone with the least bit of prudence or discernment should have known that such a skeleton in the closet would inevitably be discovered. Evidently, the love of fame, money, and stardom won out.

Personally, back in May I found it very alarming how many claimed that Josh's actions were a fairly normal occurrence, something all people are tempted by, and not a worse sin than regular everyday sins. I also blogged about that.

(source here)

LOL about the "anonymous members!" Nothing electronic is ever truly anonymous. Be sure your sin will find you out!


Then, the latest scandal broke. In and of itself, the fact that a man was looking at porn or committing adultery is not really shocking these days, nor does it make someone a reprobate. Even David was an adulterer. The shocking aspect was the fact that Josh Duggar had been living a double life of the worst kind. His latest admissions threw even the good-thinking Christians for a loop, as the overwhelming reason why we were supposed to have forgiven Josh Duggar was the fact that the had allegedly repented, and was a new man. Which, clearly, he was not. And those who had blindly defended his actions not because they were excusable, but because they liked the family, had egg on their faces. Imagine if it came to light that Obama had a similar past as Josh Duggar - would Christians everywhere rally around him in support, proclaiming forgiveness, and insisting that it did not at all reflect on the current state of his character?

(source here)

Right in the middle of all this coming to light, I received the current issue of the "No Greater Joy" magazine in the mail, with the feature article being "Two-Front War on Christianity", written by Micheal Pearl. Or, as my husband calls him, the "homeless looking guy." Most people know him for his controversial book, "To Train Up a Child."

You can still find the article here, though after the latest details about Josh Duggar coming out, I cannot for the life of me understand why they would not pull the article and post an admission of having judged falsely, along with an apology.

It became apparent right away as I read the article that it had been written and the magazine mailed out at the worst possible time - late enough to publish right as the second scandal broke, but early enough to get it out the door before the new issues came to light.

The article talks about how Christianity is facing war on two fronts: on one had from the world, the persecution coming from unbelievers. Secondly, from so-called "Christian Cannibalism." This is the part of the article I want to focus on.
 
 (source here)

There were many ridiculous points made in the article, but I will focus on the worst ones. They are representative of the nonsense that Christians everywhere have been repeating during this scandal.

  • "The second - and more destructive - wave in the war on Christianity is coming from within our own ranks. The actual physical persecution of Christians will not amount to much," "That is the disease that is killing the church," "The real threat to the church and modern Christian family is [...] coming from the pew in front of you"
Basically, forget everything you have read in Revelation about the Antichrist making war with Christians. The real danger according to Micheal Pearl are other Christians. #facepalm
  •  "many Christians have been induced to side with the accusers of the brethren," "blogs and Facebook are filled with Christian cannibalism," "Christians pile on like hungry wolves," Christians [...] loudly condemning the allegedly errant one"
This is not even factually true. The vast majority of Christians showed nothing but support and forgiveness for Josh Duggar. Even if it were true, that would not make it wrong, because we as Christians are supposed to judge righteously, show discernment, and warn others of evil perpetrators - not hush up about dangerous predators.
  • "Duggars were under attack," 
 Nobody attacked the Duggars. Their child did an evil deed, and brought this on the rest of the family. Would we say that a criminal on trial is "under attack?" Of course not.
  •   "I was highly impressed and proud to be a fellow believer with such an amazing family," "they handled the situation with their son in the best of all possible ways," "a godly response to a problem"
Sure! They did, in fact, do so well that we now know (some of) the rest of the story. ***sarcasm*** Let's judge the tree of the Duggar's parenting by its fruit: it's rotten. Their son DID NOT repent and forsake. Whatever they did to address the problem failed miserably.
I'd like to make one thing clear: either the parents want to say their 15-year old acted as a foolish child, and should not be held accountable for the sins of his youth. In that case, the responsibility lies with the parents, and they have to accept the fact that they failed.
Or they could say that at age 15, he should have known better, and that he was making his own decisions contrary to his upbringing and his parents' moral code, in which case they can no longer use his age as an excuse for his actions. 
  • "a problem that affects over 50% of the homes in America, including Christian homes" [referring to incest and molestation]
In what universe, Micheal Pearl? Surely, SOME Christian (in name only) homes face this problem. But most definitely not 50% of them. Cases such as this almost exclusively occur in broken homes, where derelict step-relatives and boyfriends commit evil acts against children. The Duggars are the exception that proves the rule, and even in their case, I am certain that Josh himself was first the victim of sexual assault himself.

So, yes, as much as I hate to be right in these types of situations, I must say "I told you so" when it comes to Josh Duggar.



Why is it so important to point out the fallacies in Pearl's article? Because Christians need to be warned, not told to simply assume the best about dangerous predators who self-identify as "being cured." They need to be taught how to recognize signs of impending doom, not close their eyes, plug their ears, stick their heads in the sand and pretend all is fine in spite of glaring warning signs. Maybe that explains why Micheal Pearl thinks that incest is to be expected in 50% of all households.

In order to protect our loved ones, it is vitally important to understand that cases such as that of Josh Duggar are NOT random and unpredictable, not something that can befall anyone, not something that there are no warning signs of. If you have not yet done so, please read my previous blog post of why there is not a pedophile lurking inside all of us

Please also watch this sermon, and learn the doctrine of someone becoming a reprobate.




~~~~~~~~~~~~

37 comments:

  1. Oh, my word. Thank you for this. I needed it so much. Also, thank you for the blog from a fellow European immigrant. (from Poland!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Debbie Pearl's book "Created to be Helpmeet" was a blessing to me also, several years ago when I first read it. However, 2 years back I cancelled my subscription to No Greater Joy. It's hard for me to put it into words, but I knew something was wrong, It no longer blessed me in the same way. If you've been getting their magazine for a number of years, you'll know what I'm talking about. They really changed and not for the better. Now to my main point: Since the first century the church has been filled with former adulterers, fornicators, and homosexuals and all kinds that indulged in moral depravity. They were not beyond the grace of God. See 1 Cor. 6:9-11. I may be mistaken, but I think I've read before where you believe they are beyond redemption because they have been given over to a reprobate mind. This is a tough issue, but I know at least one genuinely saved homosexual who is now a married family man who is bearing fruit in abundance. How much more so the adulterer? And believe me, I'm no fan of the Duggars. I have no respect for anyone making merchandise of their children. The money must be good, though, while it lasts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you!
    And I'm not sure if you read what Matt Walsh wrote, but it shows how ridiculous the 'repent of your sins' logic is. Though I am glad he at least quickly admitted he was wrong about the family.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Zsuzsa, I also get the NGJ emag & I read the article you mention 2 days ago. Since it's digital there has been an add-on to that. http://nogreaterjoy.org/articles/two-front-war-on-christianity/ No recant from the Pearl corner.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I wondered if you would blog about this newest scandal. I feel sick to my stomach when I think of Anna and the kids. Anna always seemed, to me, to carry the air of innocence and purity, so I can't imagine her shock when finding out. I also received and read the article by Michael Pearl, and I also did much 'facepalming'. Josh Duggar is a purvert. Noone can deny that now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. *pervert. I hate it when I type too quickly to spell right. ☺

      Delete
  6. Couldn't agree more. I agreed with your last post regarding Josh Duggar as well. I wasn't aware of Pearls last article. The Pearls are OFF, as are many So called Christians. I'm weary of hearing people say how we need to pray for Josh and how they act like he made some simple, common error. I could go on! This whole thing is ridiculous. Oh and rehab??? AHHHHH ! Don't get me started. He is a reprobate and nothing will change!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jessica it's nice to see you are still around I miss your blogging adventures of your family

      Delete
    2. Chad And Jess- I'm ignorant a bit on the Pearls and have heard mixed opinions: why do you think they are off?

      Delete
    3. And yet a few years back you were promoting the Pearl's book and following their method of "discipline" since breaking a child's will can hardly be called discipline.

      Delete
  7. We don't always agree, but this is one of the best write-ups I have seen about this yet.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with everything you said! I, too, was disgusted by everyone who wanted to sweep Josh Duggar's actions under the rug, and I was also convinced that there was more. I was practically crucified for saying this. Now there is an overwhelming silence from those who supported him! Except now, they are all posting this "We are all Josh Duggar" garbage, basically stating we are all hypocrites in some form, so don't judge. I'm like, "No. I don't put myself on TV as a model Christian and head up the Family Research Council while sleeping around on my spouse. I also have never molested my siblings."

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am fully supportive of Anna obtaining a divorce in this case. She (and her children) should be tested for STDs. Her health and that of the children should come first. There is no shame or sin to be laid on Anna's shoulders in this instance and I am fearful that the Duggar family is looking in that direction.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Why is that man in the first photo dressed like a New-Age pioneer and throwing weapons?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not sure if my message went through - as it disappeared when I tried to log in to publish it, so I'm trying again.

    I work for the state health department. It is shocking how many cases we see of sibling touching, incest, rape, etc. We refer to the police dept and/or social services depending on age and other factors.

    In my opinion, Jim Bob and Michele created this monster. And, he may not be the only one of their kids to go down this path. I don't know if you've seen any of their shows, I think I've seen them all. I was very vocal in my support of them - especially against people who criticized their big family. I was even in support of how they handled the Josh situation at 14, because that is typically how it is handled in family court - remove the offender from the home for a period of time and counseling. Though I don't agree with their type of counseling, they didn't do anything wrong as far as that goes. They didn't have to report their son to the authorities under Arkansas law, by the way.

    BUT, Jim Bob and Michele are very touchy and Jim Bob talks a lot about sex on the show - around the kids. To me, showing affection in front of kids is fine, but a lingering kiss and sex talk needs to be in private. They made Josh was too curious by making out in front of him. And Anna was probably taught sex is only for the husband to enjoy, so she may not have provided the things Josh wanted - as he described on his Ashley Madison account. I won't go into further detail on that, I'm sure you get what I mean.

    What saddens me, is Anna. Her upbringing (and the Duggar) girls is based on the unBiblical belief that women should only stay home and have babies. The Bible doesn't say that. I went to a Christian school for 7 years, we have women teachers. Now this school was very strict (Independent Fundamental Baptist) and they preferred singled women or women with school-aged kids to teach. We aren't guaranteed a spouse, so there is no reason a woman shouldn't have some kind of education or skill to take care of herself.

    Just my two-cents. Thanks for your blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't agree Anna's lack of instruction has anything to do with Josh's actions.
      They are both adults. He can tell her what he would like! In any case it would never have been enough. It's obvious he's an adulterer and they are never satisfied.

      Delete
    2. I'm just not sure how you can say it's an "unBiblical belief" that women "should only stay home and have babies". The Bible DOES say that. ( I Tim. 5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully). It doesn't matter what you have saw in Christian School, or even what every professing Christian around you is doing, if it's not from the Bible, or the Bible says something contrary, God's way is ALWAYS right, even when we don't understand.

      Delete
    3. Burcham - I don't adhere to Paul's writings. They are not scripture and were only added to the Bible by the Catholic Church. In fact, God told us not to the believe the one who says he met Him in the desert. You'll have to do some serious studying of the original text to see Paul is an antichrist.

      Regardless, the Proverbs 31 woman clearly shows us that women can work out of the home. She bought her own land, worked it and bartered with it. She wasn't just in the house cleaning and raising children.

      Delete
    4. Stefanie, the reason learning of Josh's actions was particularly devastating, was because of the esteem I held his family in. it did seem as thought they did everything biblically, purely. I sit here, trembling, wondering what's in store for my own children, as my husband (against my pleas) introduced uncensored electronics far too young, again and again without supervision. When we traced some activity, we found he had (not shockingly at all!) viewed inappropriate things on the web. My husband put an internet block on his electronics (but, why he needs to still own them is another story)..

      Delete
    5. Stefanie, it would benefit you to adhere to Paul's teachings. The Catholic church did not add his writing. Peter refers to Paul's teachings as, "other Scripture" so he does the linking, unless of course you want to throw out Peter too! Paul is the one who clearly explains the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, and the one who gives a clear, systematic theology: the entire book of Romans.

      Zsuzsanna, you may be living in even more of a dream word than Anna if you think sexual sin is not going to affect your life or someone close to you if it hasn't already. The Duggar parents responded as best they could in a tough situation, and believed their son when he made a false profession of faith. I'm sure there are those who have done the same, even within your church. Some are just better at faking it than others. We are to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves." Regarding the death penalty for pedophiles (I would disagree that Josh is a pedaphile. He had interest,and opportunity and access, which his parents didn't recognize until it was too late--they had the dove part, not the serpent!) You wouldn't want that for your child if it happened to you. 'let me remind, we are ALL under the death penalty, your lying or gossiping gets equal punishment, regardless of what we deem as reprehensible. If you break one commandment you have broken them all-that means when you lied, you also murdered, adultered, fornicated, stole...), and it is God's blood on the mercy seat that pays the penalty. It doesn't matter what we feel (the heart is a deceiver) or what we think (has Scripture renewed your mind today?) it's what Scripture says, whether we like it, whether society agrees with it or we hate what it tells us. Believe it and act on it. My name is Amy. I did not want to post anonymously, but that was my only option!

      Delete
  12. "I understand that if people committed sins, even serious ones, in the past and have since sought forgiveness and changed their ways, we should give them a fresh start, and not even mention those past failures.

    However, I don't believe that this applies to serious, harmful crimes like pedophilia that deserve the death penalty. "
    While I have been a victim of this type of situation, what I know from experience is the key to my mental well-being is to forgive these people, BUT I also have no plans of leaving children I may one day have around them. If I change my mind to not forgive them, I find myself very tormented by what happened to me. It's easier for me to try to never think of it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I feel compelled to address a fallacy in this article as well. In reference to the "I told you so" and the picture with a caption underneath it. This seems to disregard a central theme of the Gospel, namely...Jesus transforms people. What Josh did as a young teen was horrible, it should never be glossed over or swept under the rug. What Josh did as a married man, even more so. His actions were a complete and utter devastation to those closest to him, a betrayal of the worst kind. But to say that someone can't live a moral life after committing a heinous act of sexual deviance is to say that the power of God is inoperative when it comes to certain sins. This is a misunderstanding of the gospel, Jesus transforms people, no sin is greater than His grace, and a proper understanding of this compels anyone who believes it to forsake even the greatest transgression. One could just as easily compare this caption to Saul of Tarsus "No one who consents to killing Christians goes on to live a moral life." To imply there is no hope for someone like Josh after molesting his siblings is a failure to recognize the most significant message of the Gospel, "I once was blind, but now I see."

    It seems that Josh has not understood this significance, but that does not mean he never will. The Church is called to make righteous judgements, but not to condemn. We are casting stones, when we should be dropping them. Maybe that is the one area where we should be more like the Pharisees, even they realized they weren't without sin.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Josh Duggar is not a pedophile. The definition of a pedophile is that the person must be over 16 years of age (which he was not at the time of his actions). If the person is 16 to 18 their "victim" must be at least 5 years younger than themselves. At the age of 14, what Josh Duggar showed he was a troubled youngster not a pedophile. What he did as an adult is of course, a totally different story. Perhaps if he had appropriate counseling at the age of 14, he would not be committing adultery. Appropriate counseling would be that by a qualified mental health therapist, something that conservative Christians seem to avoid.
    By the way, this is a little off topic, but it seems that if you and your husband had your way (or what is in the Bible as you interpret), there would only be a couple hundred people left on the planet, or at least in heaven. Seems to me that you twist any type of sinning into a offense punishable by death, or at the very least eternal punishment in hell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The youngest victim was that young when he held her on his lap and assaulted her. He is a pervert plain and simple and I fear for his little girls.

      Delete
    2. Regardless of how old the youngest one was, at that time Josh was still not 16, he was 14, so he is not considered a pedophile..

      Delete
    3. I really don't care how old he was. He abused his own sisters and a SMALL child, so he's a sick bastard.

      Delete
  15. I've just recently come across your blog, and while I find many of your statements and beliefs interesting I must admit, I find some things a little "harsh" as it were. However, that isn't the reason for my post. Actually, I'm very interested in why you feel so (strongly) negative in regards to Kirk Cameron? I know almost nothing about the man and I would love some insight to your thoughts. If you don't mind, of course. I am not trying to "hate" or "troll" I am asking because of good olé fashioned curiosity, nothing more. I know you are very busy, I am a mother of 7 myself, so I thank you advance for your time!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi, I also just recently stumbled across your blog. I was wondering, because it has literally been a decade since reading "To train up a child", and I don't remember much, but- what things made you face palm? I guess I should just re-read it, but I'm afraid I'll get too busy. Also, I didn't read until the above comment that you have negative feelings toward Kirk Cameron. What are they? I'm also curious, because I have followed the Way of the Master for years, learned so much from the evangelism ministry of Ray Comfort. Any thoughts appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  17. You are a fundie just like the Duggars of a slightly different breed. The way you're raising your kids is just about the same. It's all about control of their little minds. I used to be an independent Baptist until all the quackery was swept under the rug. Hypocrisy at it's finest.

    ReplyDelete
  18. People using Christianity (well, false Christianity in the Duggars' case) as a means to make people forgive/accept them for their perverted actions is absolutely disgusting.. Like you said, if it were anyone else like Obama or any other high profile atheist then nobody would have any doubt that they're completely full of it when they say they've "changed" or repented.. What an absolute joke.

    These types of people aren't sincere, they know that Christians are very forgiving and now very liberal and accepting these days so they love to play into that. As someone who has both very good people in my family and very evil (though nobody who is at all perverted, just puffed up liars) I can tell you - Evil people will always try to use others' good nature and good heart for their own advantage, it's all to conceal their true motives.

    As someone who is also saved, this is what I think of this - I personally think that if Josh Duggar was simply this teenager who wasn't old enough to fully realise what he was doing (like they are portraying him to be), I think the guilt would be absolutely overwhelming for him. I can't see how he'd be comfortable going on with the TV show and being such an active public figure if this were true. If this were true, the shame and guilt in his own conscience wouldn't be unbearable once he "matured enough to realise what he did".

    IMO he just has all the characteristics of someone who is feigning guilt and sorrow but I just don't buy it. Don't let people like the Duggars suck you in - They're taking advantage of Christians' forgiving nature.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Why any man would want to parade their family over national TV is beyond me.

    There is so much drama in this world and with the news, TV and all electronic devices it brings so much more drama closer to our hearts and life's! Everyone sins! I mean Everyone!

    We all have drama and our own drama is enough! Anyone who portrays to be picture perfect is usually not! WHY? Because again, we all sin! We all judge! Unfortunately, it is in our DNA/Souls. This is why we need Jesus our Lord. And WHY do we want to judge so badly? Because, it distracts the sin in our own lives. Perhaps if we didn't dwell on the bad so much maybe the good would come through.

    I guess what I am trying to say is we need to concentrate on our own self, forgive, and love and when I say love I mean unconditional love (only if it was that easy). It isn't just about preaching or teaching but also trying to live by example, which, brings people to the Lord as well.

    Well for all of us Christians a lesson we need to learn just because we believe in Jesus Christ does not give us a ticket to be the greatest sinner. As a matter of fact I find a lot of Christians living badly and portraying us as freaks and quite honestly makes me even ashamed of saying I'm a Christian.

    Honestly, so many times I hear how wonderful heaven is and the gifts you will receive by believing in Jesus Christ. However, it darkens my soul to know this is what man looks forward to instead of just being close to Jesus his agape (Unconditional Love)!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Thank you for the recommendation of Debi Pearls book. I am not done reading g it but find it full of helpful insight.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Dear Szuszanna,
    Do you honestly expect the Pearls to admit they made a mistake on anything? I find their ministry to be characterized by a lack of humility.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I think you addressed this very well and agree with your take against Pearl's absurd blindness.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Looking back on thin in 2022 proves you were absolutely correct about Josh.

    ReplyDelete

Your KINDLY WORDED, constructive comments are welcome, whether or not they express a differing opinion. All others will be deleted without second thought.